5.4. Classification of Ultimate Pramā

The Gītā describes:

idaṃ tu te guhyatamaṃ pravakṣyāmyanasūyave |
jñānaṃ vijñānasahitaṃ yajjñātvā mokṣyase'śubhāt ||^[1]

“O Arjuna, since you have faith in my words, I shall reveal to you the most profound, secret, supreme knowledge, together with supreme experience. Knowing this, you shall be freed from the miseries of worldly existence.”

Bhadreśadāsa explains through his commentary:

“guhyatamam atiśayena gopyam | guhyamātmasvarūpavedanam | guhyataramakṣarabrahmasvarūpavedanam ātmano'pyantaḥsthatvāt | guhyatamaṃ paramātmavedanam akṣarabrahmaṇo'pyātmatvāt | yadvā śarīrādyantaḥsthasyā''tmano'tisūkṣmatvāttajjñānaṃ gadyam | …vijñānasahitaṃ vividhaprakāreṇa tanmāhātmyajñānaviśiṣṭaṃ jñānaṃ paramātmasvarūpaniścayā'nukūlaṃ jñānaṃ pravakṣye” | (Bhagavad-Gītā 9/1, p.201)

“Here, the Bhāṣyakāra presents an exegetical study about the three types of knowledge. 1. Secret knowledge (self) 2. More secret knowledge (Akṣarabrahman’s) and 3. The most secret knowledge (Parabrahman’s). Taken together, this knowledge results in the ultimate liberation of the jīva and īśvara. Kṛṣṇā wants to reveal this knowledge to consolidate the conviction of Arjuna towards ultimate realities.”

Similarly, the Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya states while commenting on the sūtra:

“athāto brahmajijñāsā” (Brahmasūtras 1/1/1)

“Then, therefore, the inquiry into Brahman.”

The Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya enunciates:

“jñātumicchā jijñāsā | brahmaśabdena yathoktadivyatattvadvayā'bhidhānād jijñāsāpadasyeṣyamāṇā'kṣarapuruṣottamajñānecchetyarthaḥ | svaviṣayaprādhānyaprakṛtitvāccecchāyāstadviṣaya-bhūtā'kṣarapuruṣottamākhyadivyatattvadvayajñānapravṛtteriha vidhānam | jñānaṃ ceha dhyānopāsanādirūpam |” (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.8)

“The innermost will to know (to attain knowledge of) Brahman and Parabrahman is jījñāsā (inquiry). Here, the aphorism indicates that the will needs three things: 1. who wills (seeker), 2. The subject of will (Brahman and Parabrahman), and 3. The action of willing (meditation, worship, etc.).”

The Upaniṣad Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya highlights it in the same way:

“vidyayā'mṛtamaśnute” (Īśa-upaniṣad 11)

“The seeker attains emancipation through knowledge.”

The Bhāṣyakāra comments:

“vidyayā… puruṣottamanārāyaṇasyottamanirvikalpaniścayādirūpeṇavijñānenetyarthaḥ | etādṛśaṃ viśiṣṭaṃ jñānameva brahmavidyā parā vidyā'dhyātmavidyetyadiśabdaiḥ praśastaṃ śrutismṛtyadiṣu | amṛtamaśnute janimṛtihetubhūtī māyāmatikramya maraṇadharmavarjitamavināśinaṃ mokṣa prāpnotītyarthaḥ |” (Īśa-upaniṣad 11, p.21)

“The Bhāṣyakāra defines the glory of knowledge that with the firm conviction of Parabrahman and the knowledge which the Brahmasvarūpa Guru gives, is called brahmavidyā and adhyātmavidyā which is elaborately described in the Śrutis and that includes ātma-realization and all the daily spiritual routine like sevā, karma, bhakti, etc. this knowledge brings the liberation.”

However, from the aforementioned discussions, we know that the knowledge of the five entities is not merely of copulative or coordinative composition. The realization of Parabrahman and Akṣarabrahman consequents in the knowledge of the five eternal entities^[2]. More specifically, for Parabrahman’s cognition, there is no need of any pramāṇa since Akṣarabrahman, Parabrahman and a person who became the brahmarūpa through the grace of them have self-proven knowledge.^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bhagavad-Gītā 9/1

[2]:

Brahmasūtra-1/1/1, p.10 112

[3]:

nityodbhāsitabodhatvānmānā'nadhīnasiddhitaḥ |
mānavaśyaṃ na vai meyam akṣaraparamātmanoḥ ||svāsisukā 226 ||
tatkṛpālabdhaprajñānāṃ brahmabhūtā''tmanāṃ tathā |
sarvārthānāṃ samudbhāsānnaivā'sti mānavaśyatā || svāsisukā 227 ||
ato mānāt prameyasya siddhiriti tu kevalam |
baddhātmaniyataṃ jñeyaṃ yaddhi vādeṣu yojyate || svāsisukā. 228 ||